Yuuna Akashi
Yuuna Akashi (明石 裕奈, Akashi Yūna) is a character from the series Negima!: Magister Negi Magi by Ken Akamatsu and a protagonist in Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm. She is the 2nd student on the class 3-A roster. Yuuna is an athletic girl who plays basketball and is often seen together with Makie, Ako, and Akira (i.e. the sports clubs group). Her name is sometimes spelled as "Yuna", depending on the preferred romanization of the translator, though Project Arashi canon defaults to the "Yuuna" spelling. Her father is Professor Akashi, one of the Mage-teachers at the Academy. She is very close to him, to the point of feeling jealousy about other women. Despite this fact, she knows nothing about magic herself (although a flashback shows Yuuna holding a wand while with her mother, it may have been just a toy). Yuuna is the most mischievous one amongst the sports girls. Due to more recent events, Yuuna becomes a military buff—particularly on World War II German weaponry—as opposed to a mere basketball player. Often, she is shown playing with model military toys, including a toy tank and a battlefield model. Once, she is drawn to one of Mana's guns (mistaken by the cheerleaders as infatuation to Mana herself); but Mana denied her access to it. Yuuna's role in the Kuro Arashi canon is that of a support role, but her interest in military has been greatly expanded, casting her as a fan of first-person shooter games, particularly the [http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Halo_Trilogy Halo series]. Yuuna frequently wears Halo memorabilia when outside of class, including a Halo 3 baseball cap and a customized ODST windbreaker. She is also a member of the fictional Fireteam Charlie branch of the Mahora Military Enthusiasts' Club as a squad leader of the elite 'Helljumper' division. Biography Early Life Almost no exposition of Yuuna's early life has been given, but it is safe to assume that she was born at Mahora Academy, and raised for the first few years of her life in full knowledge of her magical heritage. Her mother died assisting victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in January 1995, when Yuuna was four. Her mother's dying wish had been that Yuuna be protected, and her father interpreted that the best way to do so would be to remove Yuuna from the heritage that had been the cause of her mother's death. Her memory was wiped of all the magical knowledge that she had learned, and she was raised as a mundane. At an unknown point in her childhood years, she took a liking for basketball, which her father encouraged as the distraction kept her from asking the painful and awkward questions about her mother and why she didn't remember her early childhood. She was a rambunctious and rowdy child, establishing her place as a tomboy early on. It was during these early years that she developed her friendships with Makie, Ako, and Akira, becoming the famed 'Sports Girls' of the future Class 3-A. Her interest in video games didn't come about until after the release of Halo 2, at which point she developed a fascination with the series, returning to the original Halo: Combat Evolved while waiting breathlessly for the release of Halo 3 which, as of current events in Kuro Arashi canon, has yet to occur. Class 3-A : Main article: Class 3-A As with the vast majority of her classmates, Yuuna entered Mahora All-Girls' Middle School in Class 1-A. The first middle school year was unremarkable, save for the arrival of Chao Lingshen in the class, whose reaction to the names of several of her classmates puzzled everyone.Future Perfect: Chao Lingshen's Tale Chapter 2 - Accessed on 2009-10-13 In an ironic twist of fate, Chao, a time traveler from the future depicted in the Halo series, would have made a formidable ally in the form of Yuuna had she been aware of the basketball player's fascination with the Halo series. The second and third years became more marked in the events that occurred, including the arrival of Negi Springfield to teach the class. Though initially expressing as much interest in the boy teacher as the rest of her classmates, the novelty of having a child teacher faded rather swiftly for her. Because of this general lack of interest, she did not become as involved in the class' burgeoning magic affairs as some of her classmates did. She was, however, caught up in the battle between Negi and Evangeline when she fell under Evangeline's vampiric compulsion. She was eventually cured of this affliction and maintained no memory of the event. Kyoto Field Trip During the field trip to Kyoto, Yuuna was placed in a mixed group with Makie, a hitherto-unknown student known only by his given name, Claude, and Chisame Hasegawa. Yuuna's bisexual nature is revealed, first by her favorable response to flirtations from her future partner, Hotaru Kobayashi, and second by a situation in which she found herself forced to confess to her romantic interest of the time, who happened to be Makie. Makie rejected Yuuna's confession as gently as she could, which Yuuna has stated is the only reason they remained friends. She did not have to suffer an awkward silence, however, as at that exact moment, Konoka Konoe, who was in the cafeteria as well, was kidnapped by a renegade group of the Kansai Magic Association. Yuuna was the first to respond, pursuing the kidnapper into the lobby of the hotel, where she collided with a hotel staff luggage rack. She swiftly recovered and challenged the kidnapper, who summoned a bear and monkey demon to stall her. Negi, Hotaru, and Katerine Bayischerwald--who was along on the trip as a chaperone--arrived at Makie's calling, and Hotaru and Katerine engaged the two demons, allowing Yuuna and Negi to slip past and continue their pursuit. The two tracked the kidnapper to the nearby train station, where Hotaru and Katerine caught up with them, then the four prepared themselves to engage an unknown enemy force. Negi, first to advance into the station, discovered that the floor had been trapped as a frictionless surface that prevented standard movement. As Negi used his wind magic to disperse the fine particles making up the trap, he was shot by a hidden sniper with a rubber bullet. The enemy then projected an ice barrier to bar the would-be rescuers' path, and Yuuna recognized that the semi-transparent ice would provide not only excellent cover but a good vantage point from which to locate the sniper. Utilizing a travel bag she had taken from the luggage rack, she threw a silver shaving gel can to fool the enemy into believing she was throwing a flashbang grenade, and then dove into cover behind the ice barrier when the enemy looked away to prevent the blindness associated with a flashbang device. From there, she located the position of the sniper and relayed that information back to Katerine, who eliminated the sniper with an expert shot from her MFAR-12C Magnum. Hotaru and Katerine set out to confront the kidnapper before they could escape aboard a train, while Yuuna stayed behind with the injured Negi. With the fighting over and her adrenaline levels abating, the memory of Makie's rejection began to return to Yuuna, causing her distress. Katerine and Hotaru returning without having rescued Konoka compounded Yuuna's negative mood, adding feelings of guilt and failure to the mix. Hotaru comforted Yuuna and made overtures of a potential future relationship, but Negi erased Yuuna's and Hotaru's memories of the events which had occurred, in line with Yuuna's father's wishes that she not be exposed to magic, and the fact that Hotaru was a mundane. This greatly angered Katerine, who promised that if Negi attempted to erase her memory again, she would cut him to pieces and mail him back to England. Following this, Yuuna remained unaware of the rest of the supernatural events that occurred during the field trip, and returned to Mahora Academy, once again, as a mundane. Fireteam Charlie At an unspecified point between the Kyoto field trip and the Mahora Festival, Yuuna, due to her love of the Halo games, joined the Mahora Military Enthusiasts' Club - Fireteam Charlie cosplay club that was jointly operated by the Electronic Gaming Club and the Military Enthusiasts' Club. Lorenzo Ruiz, the acting commander of Fireteam Charlie, allowed Yuuna to join despite being too young to join the University-level club in part because of his knowledge of her magical heritage. She proved her worth as a competent small-unit commander during a number of simulation airsoft and woods paintball games, which prompted Lorenzo to reorganize the club slightly, creating an elite "Helljumper Division" whose members were allowed to cosplay as ODSTs. He created three elite teams, which he named Grammaton, Cleric, and Tetra in reference to the movie Equilibrium, the gun-kata of which was heavily influenced by the Arma Salto used by Arlington Magic Society gun mages. Yuuna was placed in charge of Cleric Team, where her talent at small-unit tactics and her likable personality swiftly won her the affection and loyalty of the other, older students placed in her team. Cleric Team, being the first full unit and the one that received the most attention during Mages vs. Mars, has come to be seen as the face of the Mahora Mage Knights Defense Brigade. Mages vs. Mars On June 24, 2007, with both Negi's group and Fireteam Charlie leader Lorenzo Ruiz preparing for inevitable conflict against Chao and her army of droids, Yuuna was recruited, along with Makie, by Ayaka to perform publicity recruitment for the student defense force being organized as part of Negi's counter plan. Using her intimate knowledge of the Halo universe, Yuuna accurately detailed the various weapons and equipment that were available for use by the defending forces. Later, she was asked by Kazumi Asakura to be the subject of a documentary on the coming battle, which she agreed to. After Kazumi was given a platform from which to become the announcer of the event, it is unknown how or if the documentary was ever made. Following that task, she and Cleric Team were assigned to hold and defend the World Tree plaza, a task suited to their nature as special forces. Yuuna chose to lead from on the ground while the rest of her team provided sniper and harassing fire from a nearby apartment building. Through process of there being no other notable figures providing leadership on the ground, the students at the World Tree and the higher commanders elsewhere came to regard Yuuna as being in command of the defense forces at the World Tree, which suited her just fine.Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm Chapter 19 - Accessed 2009-10-13 As the battle progressed, she joined in the massed infantry charge against the droid forces instigated by the appearance of the allied air support, where she defeated a minor droid infantry commander in close-range combat. The fact that she was able to physically lift and then propel the droid unit, which weighed several hundred pounds, with one hand, indicates that her latent magic power may activate unconsciously in certain conditions, possibly when she's involved in battle. She continued to maintain an up-close and personal fight against the enemy units, seeming remarkably unconcerned with her ability to physically beat down heavily-armored machines without the use of the anti-machine Jammer rings used by the other students. At the end of the charge, with most of the remaining droids retreating, and the sudden rush of adrenaline that fueled the charge abating, Yuuna was shocked by the number of casualties the allied forces had sustained, many of which required legitimate medical treatment. While the medics were treating the injured on the spot, a support task force from the main body of Fireteam Charlie arrived at the World Tree Plaza. One of the Marines presented Yuuna with a pair of new weapons intended as a gift to her from Lorenzo: a pair of MolMolian-made MFAR-12 pistols, exact remakes of the UNSC's M6C/SOCOM pistol. These weapons would become Yuuna's mainstay weapon of choice, eventually named 'Ebony and Ivory.Thunder From Above'' Prologue: The Cost - Turning, she barely managed to catch a sword stroke along the underside of Ebony and deflect it away from her body, raising Ivory again and double-tapping her enemy. - Accessed 2009-10-13 Unbeknownst to Yuuna, at this time the academy's barrier had been brought down, allowing the introduction of the techno-demons into the mix, the appearance and powerful magic blasts of which Yuuna likened to the new Scarab design to be featured in Halo 3. In the face of such a superior foe, she ordered a retreat and consolidation of remaining forces for a strong defense, at which time the second wave of the droid army attacked, now armed with Chao's special ammunition. In front of her very eyes, she watched Ako Izumi and Fumika Narutaki vanish in spheres of blackness. This sight so shocked her that she was temporarily stunned to inaction, which left her open to an unknown attack that has currently disabled her.Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm Chapter 21 - Accessed 2009-10-13 The 'attack' turned out to be Hotaru tackling Yuuna to the ground to save her from a droid targeting her, which had the unfortunate side effect of temporarily rendering Yuuna unconscious. Hotaru then dragged Yuuna out of the street and back toward the central plaza, where Yuuna then regained consciousness. The pair were attacked by a number of droids, forcing them to retreat inside a building adjacent to the main defense area. Powers and Abilities *'''Altered Perception: In combat, Yuuna seems to possess the ability to dilate her perception of the passage of time, creating an awareness akin to the "bullet time" of The Matrix fame. This was demonstrated during the first massed close-combat scene of Mages vs. Mars, in which Yuuna fell into this "bullet time" perception as she detected and approached the droid minor infantry commander.Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm Chapter 21 - Time seemed to dilate to Yuuna’s perception as she turned her attention away from the destroyed droids. - Accessed 2009-10-14 Further indication that it becomes a potent talent in Yuuna's skillset is the fact that her descendant uses a pronounced version of this ability against the Covenant.Future Perfect: Chao Lingshen's Tale Chapter 2 - Sergeant Akashi, brandishing twin M6D pistols, stepped out from behind cover, and time itself seemed to dilate to Chao's over-the-shoulder perceptions. Overcome with morbid curiosity, she watched the brilliant flash from each pistol's muzzle, the bullets projecting out and leaving a stream of air displacement behind them. - Accessed 2009-10-14 *'Physical Ability': Yuuna's greatest normal asset is her natural athletic talent, honed by her years of playing basketball. This talent gives her the manual dexterity and mental quickness needed to handle dual-wielding firearms accurately, as well as greater speed and agility than any untrained mundane can match. *'Leadership Skills': Yuuna possesses an inate natural charisma that likely is enhanced by her family history of magical talent. This charisma makes her a natural leader able to effortlessly and unconsciously engender loyalty and courage in those around her. *'Magical Prowess': Because of her magical lineage, Yuuna becomes a practicing mage at some unspecified point after Mages vs. Mars.The Unsung War Chapter 5 - “But none of us are actually mages like you are, Akashi-''san'',” Cheryl said. - Accessed 2009-10-13 Her elemental affinity is wind and fire, and her special talent is the ability to cast many of her spells through her firearms.Thunder From Above Prologue: The Cost - A gout of magical fire roared out of the barrel of the weapon, sweeping out and engulfing the remaining vampire-zombies standing before her, the spell turning her submachine gun into a bona fide flamethrower. - Accessed 2009-10-13 Her pactio partner is Hotaru Kobayashi, the two having formed a provisional contract by complete accident during the battle of Mages vs. Mars. Yuuna's incantation phrase is "Seigi, te wo. Chikara, ai wo" which translates from Japanese to "Justice, my hands. My strength, love."Thunder From Above Prologue: The Cost - As the rest of the soldiers broke contact with the enemy, Yuuna calmly, coldly began to incant, “''Seigi, te wo. Chikara, ai wo''.” - Accessed 2009-10-13 Yuuna in Other Media Yuuna, as well as the rest of Cleric Team and her partner Regan, appear in the third story of a Chibi Vampire fanfiction trilogy by author paladin313. This is a non-canonical appearance, as the presence of Cleric Team assumes that the Unification War in the Kuro Arashi storyline did not occur. Set 8-10 years after Mages vs. Mars, Yuuna and Cleric Team join forces with an organization of humans and vampires known as The Clan, whose intent is to peacefully reunite the world of vampires and humans. Mahora, now part of a unified Greater Japan Magic Society, sees their goals as similar to their own eventual goal of uniting the mage and mundane worlds, and send Cleric Team to assist The Clan in their battle against an underground resurgence of the Inquisition. The Inquisition, while trained and capable of fighting and defeating vampires, do not possess the necessary training and equipment to defend themselves against the determined, tactical attacks of Cleric Team, who are now ODSTs in every fashion excepting the absence of orbital insertion.Karin: The Inquisition Chapter 25 - Accessed 2009-10-13 At the conclusion of The Inquisition, Yuuna and Cleric Team were present at the formation of an official alliance between The Clan and the Greater Japan Magic Society.The Inquisition - Mahora Epilogue - Accessed 2009-10-13 In the continuation of The Clan storyline, Yuuna and Cleric Team have not yet made an appearance in the Homo Sapiens Nocturni tale, but as of the most recently-released chapter, indications have been made that Mahora will be introduced into the story, so it is safe to assume that Yuuna and Cleric Team will return.Karin: Homo Sapiens Nocturni Chapter 9 - Realizing that he was getting nowhere, he was now going to have to take the expensive route and head to Japan to meet their sister group. - Accessed 2009-10-13 Following the conclusion of The Inquisition, Project Arashi author Chris Ganale has begun a retelling of Cleric Team's participation in the conflict that greatly expands on the conflict and focuses more on the perspective of Cleric Team rather than members of The Clan. This retelling is titled by the official motto of Cleric Team: "Thunder From Above." Like their presence in The Inquisition, Thunder From Above is also a non-canon work. As with Chao Lingshen's non-canonical Terminator appearance, much of the information about Yuuna's ability to use magic, and the fact that she has a pactio partner, comes from the non-canonical Clan-related works, but such information is still canon, though the events that take place are not. Trivia *Due to a set of unpleasant circumstances between the creator of the character Regan Hiryuu and the rest of the cast of Project: Arashi, the executive decision was made to remove the character from the canon of Project: Arashi. The above section retains its references to Regan as it discusses an external work that cannot be modified to remove Regan. *Yuuna's XBox Live Gamertag is PistolCaster3A2. This references her preference for pistol-type weapons, her burgeoning status as a mage, and being the second student in Class 3-A. Appearances *''Future Perfect: Chao Lingshen's Tale'' *''I Am ODST: Memoirs of a Student-Soldier'' *''The Inquisition Mahora Epilogue'' *''Karin: The Inquisition'' *''Kuro Arashi: The Black Storm'' *''PokéFiends'' *''Thunder From Above'' *''The Unsung War '' Sources Category:Cleric Team Category:Fireteam Charlie Category:Kuro Arashi Protagonists Category:Mages Category:Negima! Magister Negi Magi Category:Students in Class 3-A